Digital Only: Latter-day Saint Voices

You Can Still Be a Mother

By Josie Delgada Trinidad, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Motherhood is a special calling God gives to every woman.

Photograph by Charlotte Larcabal

I love to serve other people. It’s something I learned from my parents, especially my mother. She is always the first one to offer help and to invite people to have something to eat or drink.

She taught me that doing good things for others can make a big difference in many lives. When you help someone, you can help them be happy. And then when they are happy, they will want to give happiness to others. That is something I always carry in my heart.

Crystal was in high school and Angel was six years old when their mother could no longer look after them. I offered to take them in. “I promise I will never leave your children,” I said. “I will take good care of them.”

Years later, another young mother asked me to take in her baby, Allison. This mother faced difficult circumstances and knew I could give her baby a good life. I took Allison in.

I try to teach these children the important things in life. I bring them to church and try to help them grow closer to God. I know that when I am nearer to Him, I can do so much more, even the things I think are impossible. Of course, I want that for Crystal, Angel, and Allison.

These children have suffered in life, but I’ve watched the gospel and the Spirit heal their hearts. I’ve watched their perceptions and behaviors slowly change. Together we pray for their birth parents, because no matter what, I want them to respect and love them.

I love Crystal, Angel, and Allison as if they were my own children. Sometimes people ask me if I will regret my decisions. What if Allison’s mother decides to take Allison back? Will I regret loving Allison and becoming attached to her? But why should I regret it? Helping other people is nothing to regret! It’s something to be grateful for.

I am so grateful for Crystal, Angel, and Allison. Thanks to them, I have learned how to be a mother. I learned how to wake up in the middle of the night for diaper changes, how to teach young children to pray, how to love more deeply than I thought possible. That is something I didn’t think I would ever have.

Perhaps my calling in this world is to take care of those that don’t have mothers or are far away from their mothers.

I try to have open arms and open ears for anyone who needs them. When the missionaries come, I try to treat them as their mothers would. If it’s their birthday, I bake a cake for them. I ask them if their parents make them a special meal and then I try to make it for them. I know that their parents are far away, so this is something I can do to boost them up.

I used to feel sad about being single and longed for children of my own, but motherhood is a special calling God gives to every woman. Maybe you do not have your own children, but you can still be a mother.